Judge to consider motion in murder case over trooper death

A man charged in the death of a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper is expected to be in court on Friday.

The charges stem from a crash that killed Trooper James Bava in August of 2015.

Serghei Comerzan is scheduled to have a motion hearing at 2 p.m. in St. Charles.

During the afternoon’s court appearance, Comerzan’s attorney, Charlie James, is asking to limit the number of uniformed troopers in the room.

James believes the troopers are trying to send a message to the judge and to influence him.

James also says it’s a waste of taxpayer money to be there.

He asks the patrol to prove why being there is lawfully necessary.

This stems from August of 2015 when Trooper Bava radioed that he saw a motorcyclist commit a traffic violation in Audrain County.

The motorcyclist started to speed. Bava chased the driver, and that’s when he lost control of his vehicle, crashed and died.

Comerzan is scheduled to go to trial in April.